Cleft open
And as he knows all things are naked and opened to the eyes of him with whom we have to do, so he sees himself naked, stripped of all the fig leaves which he had sewn together, of all his poor pretenses to religion or virtue, and of his wretched excuses for sinning against God.
He now sees himself like the ancient sacrifices, cleft in two, as it were, from the neck downward, so that all within him stands confessed. His heart is bare, and he sees it is all sin, deceitful above all things, desperately wicked, that it is altogether corrupt and abominable, more than it is possible for tongue to express, that there dwells in it no good thing, but unrighteousness and ungodliness only, every motion of it, every temper and thought, being only evil continually.
1771 text
4. And as he knows all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do, so he sees himself, naked, stript of all the fig-leaves which he had sewed together, of all his poor pretences to religion or virtue, and his wretched excuses for sinning against God. He now sees himself, like the ancient sacrifices, τετραχηλισμένον, cleft in sunder, as it were, from the neck downward, so that all within him stands confest. His heart is bare, and he sees it is all sin, deceitful above all things, desperately wicked; that it is altogether corrupt and abominable, more than it is possible for tongue to express: that there dwelleth therein no good thing, but unrighteousness and ungodliness only; every motion thereof, every temper and thought, being only evil continually.
About this text
Rendered in modern English, to be read and heard. Open the 1771 text under each part to check the claims and the scripture.
Rendered in modern English. The 1771 panel is his own Pine printing of the Works. It is public domain.
Catalogue & scope
Sermon 9 in the 1771 Works. Romans 8:15.
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. It is not a complete critical edition.